SALEM, Va. – Junior Buzz Anthony (Arnold, Md./Archbishop Spalding) scored 23 points and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player as the fifth-ranked and top-seeded Randolph-Macon men's basketball team defeated second-seeded Virginia Wesleyan 72-57 to win the 2020 ODAC Championship.

The Basics:

Score: Randolph-Macon 72, Virginia Wesleyan 57

Location/Venue: Salem, Va./Salem Civic Center

Records: R-MC 26-2, VWU 23-5

How it Happened:

• Senior Korey Turner (Midlothian, Va./Amelia Academy) nailed a three-pointer to start the scoring for the Yellow Jackets. The Marlins had an 8-4 spurt to take their first and only lead before a follow by sophomore Ian Robertson (Lewes, Del./Cape Henlopen) and a layup by Anthony put R-MC on top for good at 11-8 with 13:35 left in the first half. Following a bucket by VWU, the Yellow Jackets had six different players score in a 14-0 run as R-MC went up 25-10 with five minutes remaining. The Yellow Jacket defense held the Marlins scoreless for more than eight minutes. Freshman Miles Mallory (Beltsville, Md./St. Vincent Pallotti) had a layup with 50 seconds left to give R-MC a 31-20 edge. VWU would have two late free throws to make the halftime score 31-22. Talbert and junior Terry Woods (Burlington, N.C./Burlington School) led with six points and Anthony added five. Anthony also had six rebounds and two assists. R-MC had a 21-2 advantage on bench points.
• To start the second half, Anthony had a layup and Mallory hit a jumper to give the Yellow Jackets a 35-22 lead. A three-pointer by Robertson gave R-MC a 40-27 advantage before VWU tallied nine straight before a pair of free throws by Anthony halted the run and made it 42-36 with 14:35 remaining. Following a bucket by the Marlins, Anthony had six points in a 12-0 spurt as the Yellow Jackets took 54-38 lead midway through the second period. A jumper in the lane by Anthony gave R-MC a 59-45 advantage with just under seven minutes left. VWU cut it to 11 before a layup by Anthony made it 65-52 with 2:30 remaining. The Marlins would cut it to nine at 66-57 before two free throws by freshman Josh Talbert (Virginia Beach, Va./Kellam), a layup by Woods and two foul shots by Anthony made the final 72-57.

By The Numbers:

• R-MC had three score in double figures. Along with 23 by Anthony, Woods had 14 and Mallory added 12 in his return. Mallory missed the two previous ODAC tourney contests.
• The Yellow Jackets had a 42-2 advantage on bench points. The bench outscored the starters 42-30.
• The Yellow Jackets shot 57% from the floor (28-49). Woods went 6 for 8 and Mallory was 6 for 9.
• R-MC made 24 of 31 shots inside the arc (.774).
• The Yellow Jackets hit 86% from the free throw line (12-14). Anthony made 7 of 8.
• R-MC had a 31-21 advantage on the boards. Anthony led the way with seven, while Talbert grabbed six.
• Anthony had five assists and Woods dished out four.

For The Record

• Anthony was named the tourney's Most Valuable Player He averaged 19.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists in three games. Joining him on the All-Tournament Team were Robertson and Talbert.
• The Yellow Jackets have won 14 of their past 15 games.
• R-MC is 7-8 in ODAC Championship Games. The Yellow Jackets won titles in 1990, 1991, 2003, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2020. It was R-MC's first championship under fifth-year head coach Josh Merkel.
• The R-MC men and women both won basketball titles this season. The Yellow Jackets also claimed both championships in 2003 and in 2011.
• Anthony has 1,171 career points and is in 31st place in program history.
• Anthony has 471 career assists, passing Paul Gartlan for third place in program history. Rod Wood had 621 from 1981-85 and Paul Jez had 747 from 1971-75.

Up Next:

• Randolph-Macon earned the ODAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The selection show will be on Monday, March 2 at 12:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.